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"Scattering lambiencies ' 



See page ; 



II 



KRU 



A DEPARTURE 



STANLEY OLMSTED 
JAMES CRICHTON 
WILLIAM CLARKE 



ILLUSTRATKD BY 

JAMES CRICHTON 



WASHINGTON 

THE NEALE PUBLISHING COMPANY 

451 ELEVENTH STREET 

MCMIII 



II I 



Two ( 



\j 






'Copyright, 1903, by 
Stanley Olmsted and James Crichton 



IV 



*THIS IS THE FIRST ISSUE OF A SERIES 
TO APPEAR AT INTERVALS OF TWO OR 
THREE MONTHS. EACH OF THESE ISSUES 
WILL POSITIVELY BE LIMITED TO FIVE 
HUNDRED AUTOGRAPHED COPIES, AT THE 
PRICE OF TWO DOLLARS EACH, OF WHICH 
THIS IS NUMBER J^^ 



* The plates of my illustrations for this issue have been 
destroyed, — James Crichton. 



mCRODUCCORV 



The world 
is insane. 
Tiie proof 
of this assertion 
is that all 
who read 
what 1 write 
will declare 
that I 
am insane. 
Now, it is 
a well known fact 
that lunatics 
always believe 
that they 
are sane, 
and that all 
who are different 
from them 
are insane. 

Therefore, 
the declaration 
of the world 
that I am 
insane 

only proves 
the world's 
insanity. 

Having thus 
logically 
and etfectuallv , 



substantiated 
and proved 
my major 
proposition, 
1 will proceed 
with the 
deductions : 

The world, 
being incapacitated, 
by insanity, 
for self-government, 
I, 

from the generosity 
of my soul, 
hereby constitute 
and appoint 
myself 
its guardian 
and keeper; 
undertaking 
the exclusive 
control 

and responsibility 
for its welfare. 

In support 
of my claims 
I am willing 
to produce 
divine credentials. 

But the world 
will not respect 



such papers, 
being insane, 
and I shall 
therefore 
dispense with 
this formality, 
and proceed 
at once 

upon the duties 
of my stewardship. 

As a 
preliminary step 
in my administration 
of the world's acts, 
I desire to correct 
a number 
of popular errors, 
which the world, 
in its insanity, 
has permitted 
to develop. 

The first is — 
The folly 
of living. 

As I proceed 
in my task, 
I must 

take frequent occasion 
to remind 
my readers 
that they 



VI 



are lunatics. 

Therefore 

let them restrain 

any inclination 

to receive 

my words 

in jest, 

or without 

serious consideration ; 

always remembering 

their Umacy- 

Being a man 

of such 

piercing intellectuality 

that nothing less 

than perfection 

satisfies me, 

I aim 

to cure 

the defects 

of the world 

at one 

master-stroke. 

I therefore advise 

the world 

to die. 

In addition 
to advising 
death, 
1 
command it. 

Now, 
nervous lunatics, 
do not 
get excited — 



remembering 
your lunacy. 

My reasons 
for my advice 
are these : 

Your ideas 
of religion 
are wrong. 

Therefore, 
die; 
because 
dead lunatics 
can nut have 
erroneous ideas. 

Even a lunatic 
can understand 
the truth 
of this. 

Your ideas 
of happiness 
are wrong. 
Therefore, 
die. 

Because 
dead lunatics 
have no 
ideas. 

You do not know 
when you are 
unhappy ; 
and sometimes 
entertain 
the delusion 
that you are contented 
when you are 



miserable, 

though ignorant 

of your state. 

Which is 

unfortunate. 

Therefore, 

die. 

Because 

dead lunatics 

have no false ideas 

of happiness. 

You are wrong 
in everything. 
Therefore, 
die. 

Because 
death 
is right ; 

and dead lunatics 
are no longer 
insane. 

But do not 
Any of you die before 
1 finish. 

Because 
1 insist 
upon having 
readers. 

And also there are 
other reasons 
for postponement. 
The only persons 
in the world 
who are sane 
are 



V I 1 



myself 
and my 
co-editors. 

Therefore, 
we three, 
alone, 
shall live. 

But we 
hate work ; 
and a world 
encumbered 
with dead lunatics 
would be 
dis.agreeable; 
and we renig 
at the prospect 
of buryinj; 
the world. 

Therefore, 
die gradually. 

Let those 
who die first 
be buried 
by their 

temporary survivors, 
to save us 



work. 

Then let 
the survivors die — 
always gradually ; 
and let 

the undertakers 
bury them. 

Then let 
the undertakers 
die gradually : 
each being buried by 
his friend; 
until but 

three undertakers 
remain. 

Then let the three 
die — 

and we will perform 
the rites for them ; 
or let them 
drown themselves. 

The world 
will then 
be perfect. 

My plan, 
in its simplicity, 



is such 
that even 
lunatics can grasp 
it. 

But as the process 
must be gradual, 
I desire to set forth 
certain rules of conduct 
to govern those 
lunatics 

who temporarily 
survive 

their predecessors, 
who are most 
fortunately at ease 
in death. 

The future will 
bring forth 
these rules. 

In the meantime, 
lunatics, 
begin 
to die. 

And thus 
renounce 
lunacy. 



VIII 




scjincev oehiscgd 



I X 



cunji 

Driven of destiny, 
Scattering lambiencies, 

White, cloven tongue of the hour after eve- 
Struggling for" speech 
From a seat midst the Heavens ! 
Belittling haste, 
Laboring breath 

'Gainst the push of the clouds, 
'Gainst the tide of the winds ! 




Illumined of thee, mumble flaccid lips, 

Drained of kisses. 

Bastards of genius 

Wistfully toss through the dream of their heritage 

Lighted of thee, 

Mauve-one and Luminous, 



XI 



I r.cr 




Inutile fumbler of devastations 

Skulking o'er wastes through the slain ; 

Ashily mute, yet conjuring thither 

Speech of the poet — 

He who would fain 

Lay his jaded cheek against the sky 

By thine ! 

Eyes grown yellow like sulphur, dilate 
Neath thy blear and thy blur ; 
And into the heavy midnight sleep 
Thou stalkest. 
Or creepest. 

Or crawlest, coiling 
The monstrous deceit 
Of thy portentous language of signs 
Round the brain,— 

Through the eyelid's vain seal of the sense,- 
O'er the soul. 



X I 1 




White tist of death, 

Clenched midst the purple flowers of clouds 

Of the hour ere the dawn ! 



Xll! 



He who lives, learns. But he who learns wonders 
if it be worth while that he live. 

The ways of experience are dark, but the ways of 
inexperience are darker. 

A promise presents a radically different aspect and 

effect before and after taking. 

E. S. O. 



Prosperity does not alter man's character — it un- 
veils it. 

Chastity is like a heavy ornament, whose weight 
soon becomes irksome if worn by beauty. 

Married loves are like embalmed plants. 

J.C. 



Those who are happy deserve to he happy as a 
reward for being able to be happy. 

Happiness consists not in being wise, but in being 
otherwise. 

He who seeks happiness would do well to ignore 

his unhappiness. 

IV. H. C. 



XIV 



With arrogance whose power is intinite 

And lack of mercy liice the greed of earth, 

This all and aye bears as the weight which drives 

The heart-blood bursting into eyes of fire, 

Crushing the mass on mass until the end, 

And in the ruin only that survives 

Which knows Nirvana. 

William Clarke. 



XV 



MAY 23 1903 



H 87 83 






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